John James Audubon State Park Havell Double Elephant Folio Bien Edition Alecto Restrikes Amsterdam Edition Abbeville Edition Royal Octavo Edition Imperial Quadrupeds (elephant folio) Quadrupeds of North American (octavo) Havell Double Elephant Folio. Henderson, KY 42419. The name Double Elephant was a printer’s term regarding the size of the paper. The Plate number in the double elephant folio edition and the octavo edition. $125.00* Pre-owned. Henderson, KY 42419. This blog post was written by Heidi Taylor-Caudill, Curator of the John James Audubon State Park Museum. Irmscher, Christoph, ed. New York. 233 or heidi.taylorcaudill@ky.gov. Here, Plate 181 Golden Eagle Audubon Repro Havell Edition Double Elephant Folio. Fries, Waldemar H. The Double Elephant Folio. Of these, 41 sets are known to have been broken up to sell as individual prints and 10 are known to have been destroyed. Aquatints by Robert Havell. These prints are known as the Amsterdam Edition of the Double Elephant folio, making it the first complete facsimile of the original monumental work of Audubon. Amherst, Massachusetts, (2006) Hart-Davis. The person who contacted us wanted to know where our Double Elephant Folio came from and how we acquired it. About 1820, around the age of 35, Audubon declared his intention to paint every bird in North America. It should read “J. Box 576 Feel free to contact me at (270) 826-2247 ext. $199.95. Appendices. Subscribers would receive prints in sets of five called “parts.” Each part came with one large, one medium, and three small images, all printed on the same double elephant size paper. In his bird art, he mainly forsook oil paint, the medium of serious artists of the day, in favor of watercolors and pastel crayons (and occasionally pencil, charcoal, chalk, gouache, and pen and ink). John James Audubon (1785-1851) was not the first person to paint and describe all of the birds of America—Alexander Wilson has that distinction—but for half a century he was the country's dominant wildlife artist. A sheet of paper in double elephant size would have measured 26 1/4 x 39 1/2 imperial inches. 233. Steiner, Bill. The Double Elephant Folio: The Story of Audubon's Birds of America Waldemar H. Fries No preview available - 2006. About this product. His set remained in the Walker family until 1920, when it was purchased by Dr. Robert Cushman Murphy (1887-1973), an Audubon scholar and ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History. So when and how did these books come to our museum? The Double Elephant Folio. John James Audubon State Park T he original edition of the Birds of America is known as the Double Elephant folio. London, 2004. Abbeville Press. William Reese Co. 2002. In our Recent Research series, curator Heidi Taylor-Caudill shares answers to questions sent to the Audubon Museum about John James Audubon and his family, the museum’s collection, and the history of John James Audubon State Park. The practice continued for over a century with owners breaking up complete sets of the Double Elephant Folio to feed the market for loose Havell prints (Steiner, 47). $199.95. Together these sets constitute an unprecedented online combination. Engraving, printing, and coloring these over-sized prints was enormously expensive. Today, only 120 complete sets are believed to exist in private hands and in institutions like museums, libraries, and universities (Steiner, 48). What is the "Birds of America" double elephant folio book? All Rights Reserved. Before we delve into the history of our museum’s copy, let’s talk about Audubon’s Double Elephant Folio project. Common terms and phrases. New York, 1988 . Many subscribers commissioned their own bindings of the prints, and Audubon and his publisher Robert Havell, Jr., sold quite a few sets as bound volumes. Of these, 41 sets are known to have been broken up to sell as individual prints and 10 are known to have been destroyed. He did not conceive that people would want to collect loose prints from this publication. P.O. Low, Susanne M. A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America. Once a month we turn the pages of the open volume on display, as both a protective measure against light exposure and to offer a new image for visitors to see. Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Top picked items. Audubon wanted to show the birds at life size, so he selected to use “double elephant” size paper (approximately 26 1/4 x 39 1/2 inches, the largest sheets available then). The complete set of Havell engravings is commonly known as the “Double Elephant” folio and/or The Havell Edition. Over the years many authors have written entire books about the Birds of America publication. © 2021 Friends of Audubon. Museum Monday videos feature stories from the museum collection and the history of John James Audubon State Park. Revised edition with update by Susanne N. Low. Dr. Murphy sold the set in 1935 to a prominent amateur ornithologist named Marcia Brady Tucker (1884-1976). These fragile treasures reside in the New-York Historical Society, New York City’s oldest museum. This is the paper used for the Audubon Havell and Bein bird prints, which measure approximately 26 1/2 x 39 inches. Museum Monday videos feature stories from the museum collection and the history of John James Audubon State Park. Collection includes loose prints from Audubon books, The birds of America (double elephant folio of 1827-1838 and a subsequent octavo edition) and The viviparous quadrupeds of North America (1846-1854), as well as later reproductions of Audubon prints. Join our curator, Heidi Taylor-Caudill, for a new Museum Monday video about the Audubon Museum’s set of Birds of America Double Elephant Folios. To accommodate these large illustrations, The Birds of America was published as a double elephant folio some 40 inches tall and 28 inches wide, equivalent to 100 by 68 centimeters. New York, 1988. Free shipping. This, the first book purchased by the University, was bought in 1839 for $970 (equivalent to $90,000 in 2019), at the time an amazing sum. Chicago. Audubon’s Birds of America. But as big as the double-elephant folio pages were, they still weren’t big enough for some birds: Audubon had to draw the great blue heron, for example, with its … Low, Susanne M. An Index and Guide to Audubon’s Birds of America. Our museum at John James Audubon State Park is fortunate to hold one of these very rare, intact sets of the Double Elephant Folio. https://parks.ky.gov/henderson/parks/historic/john-james-audubon-state-park, Museum Galleries Closed On April 6th, 2021, Summer Programs for Kids: June and July 2021, Museum Monday Bonus Video: Paper Marbling, “A Brush of Reality” Solo Exhibit by Elizabeth Davis | March 5-May, “Eye Candy” Solo Exhibit by Susie Rideout | March 3-April 27. She was a board member of the National Audubon Society and a benefactor to the Audubon Museum in Henderson. On June 14, one of the world’s most expensive books, John James Audubon’s double-elephant folio of The Birds of America , will go to auction in New York City. Do you have a question about John James Audubon, the Audubon Museum, or the history of John James Audubon State Park? The Audubon Museum at John James Audubon State Park holds one of the few complete sets of this publication known to exist today. Full original hand-color by R. Havell. American Library Association. Though renowned for the double-elephant folio of The Birds of America published from 1827 to 1838, the original watercolors Audubon made preparatory for that publication are less familiar. © 2021 Friends of Audubon. Double Elephant dimensions 26 1/4 x 39 1/2 inches (667 x 1003 mm) Audubon's Birds of America engravings produced by Robert Havell were of double elephant size. In 1970, Mrs. Tucker donated the set to the Audubon Museum at the same time that she donated her library of rare books on ornithology, natural history, and the history of exploration to the Smithsonian. All Rights Reserved. These include the double elephant folio size prints from the Havell Edition and the Bien Edition (chromolithographs) of Birds of America, and the hand-colored stone lithographs from the Imperial Folio Edition of the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, the Royal Octavo Edition of the Birds of America, and the Octavo Edition of the Quadrupeds of North America. From curatorial records, we can trace the provenance of our Double Elephant Folio starting with the original owner, Thomas Walker of Killingbeck Hall near Leeds, England. Check watermark. In June 2020, we received a question about the provenance (record of ownership) of our copy of John James Audubon’s Double Elephant Folio of The Birds of America. P.O. Audubon intended that the prints be bound together into huge, four-volume sets of books. Double Elephant Folio:The largest books and prints produced in the 19th century were in the Double Elephant Folio size. Share - The Double Elephant Folio : The Story of Audubon's Birds of America (Hardcover) The Double Elephant Folio : The Story of Audubon's Birds of America (Hardcover) Be the first to write a review. Double Elephant Folio. Double elephant folio. 1988. From 1827-1838, John James Audubon published approximately 200 sets of the the double elephant folio Birds of America.. Each set contains 435 illustrative plates produced from a copperplate engraving and then colored by hand, and originally sold for $1,000. She discusses the history and provenance of the folios, which are one of 120 complete sets still in existence. Audubon’s “Great Work” was called the “Double Elephant Folio”, the “Birds of America” or the “Havell Edition”. Published between 1827 and 1838, this beautiful four-volume set of The Birds of America is considered to be John James Audubon’s masterpiece. I am always happy to help. Fries, Waldemar H. The Double Elephant Folio. Whatman” or “J. See photographs of changes in how the books have been displayed since the 1960s, and learn about the 2016 grant that helped the Museum more safely display these priceless objects. Free shipping. 3100 US Highway 41 North Self-published between 1826 and 1838, the serial consumed 14 years of Audubon's life, and contained hand-coloured plates illustrating more than 700 species of birds on the North American continent. Join our curator, Heidi Taylor-Caudill, for a new Museum Monday video about the Audubon Museum’s set of Birds of America Double Elephant Folios. Most people are familiar with Audubon’s iconic illustrations from single plates or later reproductions, but having the monumental four-volume double elephant folio on display is truly a remarkable opportunity for the public to experience the beauty of Audubon’s achievement and these wonderfully colored depictions of American birds in the format the artist intended. John James Audubon: A Biography. These engravings are the largest of the valuable Audubon prints and measure 39.5″ x … 3100 US Highway 41 North We are pleased to present our complete double elephant folio set of Audubon’s Birds of America, accompanied by his Ornithological Biography, through this Web site. 50 Audubon … The cost of the sets to purchasers was: 1 set, $5; 3 sets, $14.50; 5 sets, $23.50. Our treasured copy of John James Audubon’s famous book Birds of America , published in 1858, is called a Double Elephant Folio. Audubon Art Prints. Very good condition, except as noted. Irmscher, Christoph, ed. New York. 366 Iceland Jer Falcon Audubon Print Repro Havell Edition Double Elephant Folio. Recent Research: The Double Elephant Folio: Where Did It Come From. Questions? This edition is commonly known as the Double Elephant Folio due to the size of the paper chosen for the publication. From The Birds of America. Audubon's Elephant: America's Greatest Naturalist and the Makng of "The Birds of America." Yet almost as soon as subscribers received the first set of prints, some chose to break apart their set and resell individual prints. Prints by John James Audubon. London, 2004 . Audubon Havell Edition Price Guide 1 The Audubon Havell Edition and Price Guide John James Audubon s original Birds of America double elephant folio was easily the finest natural history book ever published. Revised edition with Update by Susanne N. Low. The subject matter of an Audubon print also helps determine the value. For the last 50 years, we have been pleased to share this wonderful copy of the Double Elephant Folio with our museum visitors. $199.95. Audubon print expert Bill Steiner estimates that between 180 and 190 complete sets of Audubon’s double elephant folio of The Birds of America were produced and sold. The term “double elephant” was a printers term referring to the largest paper available for printing at the time. Brand new. Between 1827 and 1839, John James Audubon worked with Robert Havell, a London engraver to create the “Double Elephant Folio”. Learn more about the history and provenance of the Audubon Museum's set of Birds of America Double Elephant Folios. Museum Monday: The Birds of America – A Family Effort, Museum Galleries Closed On April 6th, 2021, Summer Programs for Kids: June and July 2021, Museum Monday Bonus Video: Paper Marbling, “A Brush of Reality” Solo Exhibit by Elizabeth Davis | March 5-May, “Eye Candy” Solo Exhibit by Susie Rideout | March 3-April 27, Museum Monday: Audubon’s Double Elephant Folio. She discusses the history and provenance of the folios, which are one of 120 complete sets still in existence. The Double Elephant Folio: The Story of Audubon's Birds of America For more information about the museum and park, visit https://parks.ky.gov/henderson/parks/historic/john-james-audubon-state-park. Free shipping. He was a very early supporter of Audubon and The Birds of America, subscribing sometime around early May 1827. John James Audubon: A Biography. Authentication of Audubon Prints . The Double Elephant Folio August 18, 2017 From his earliest conception of The Birds of America, Audubon intended that each bird would appear life-sized and, in some cases, alongside plants, wildlife (including other birds), and other environmental elements. 1973, A reprint edition is now available. What you see : The American flamingo plate from the double elephant folio version of The Birds of America by John James Audubon. A full 8-volume, double-elephant folio version is on public display in the Audubon Room at the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Consider visiting the Audubon Museum at John James Audubon State Park to view our Double Elephant Folio and the many other Audubon art and artifacts on exhibit here. Update: The double elephant folio of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America sold in a single-lot auction for $6.6 million. Larger birds tend to bring higher prices than the smaller songbirds. To finance the project, Audubon sold subscriptions to his work on a pay-as-you-go plan. London: J.J. Audubon, 1827-39. To replicate the actual size of some of the larger birds, Audubon insisted that Havell engrave the plates on Whatman double elephant folio size mold-made paper (26 x 38 inches), the largest paper sheets available at the time (known even then as ”double elephant folio” size). As complete, intact, four-volume sets became rarer, their value and desirability to Audubon collectors increased. The Double Elephant Folio includes the history and the creation of the Birds of America including subscribers, sets, costs, as well as census and survey of extant sets. Each plate number for the octavo edition is also a link to Audubon’s biography of the bird at audubonimages.org; Commentary about the bird (not complete) The locations and habitats and plants associated with the bird as named in Audubon’s Ornithological Biography. The gallery had permitted the National Audubon Society to make 400 copies each of 50 selected prints of Audubon’s Double Elephant folio edition of the Birds of America, of which the gallery possesses the only original, unbound copy in the United States. $74.49. We’re open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT (currently closing between 1-2 p.m. for cleaning). Amherst, Massachusetts, (2006) Hart-Davis. Box 576 Audubon's Elephant: America's Greatest Naturalist and the Making of "The Birds of America." The Double Elephant Folio is currently on exhibit in Gallery C of the Audubon Museum at John James Audubon State Park. These dimensions would include the irregular, deckled edge of the natural sheet of paper. Contact Heidi at heidi.taylorcaudill@ky.gov or 270-826-2247 ext. Audubon eventually published 87 five-print parts, totaling 435 prints (Steiner, 43). *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Double Elephant Folio: The Story of Audubon's Birds of America [Waldemar H. Fries] on Amazon.com. The Double Elephant Folio: No Elephants in Sight When was the last time you tried to lift a 60 pound-book the size of a small table? Audubon print expert Bill Steiner estimates that between 180 and 190 complete sets of Audubon’s double elephant folio of The Birds of America were produced and sold. It contains 435 hand-colored engravings of 1,065 birds that supposedly represent all known species in the United States at the time. It was printed on "double elephant" the largest size of paper available at the time. No.81 Fish Hawk or Osprey Audubon Repro Print Havell Edt. 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